Grizzly Main Battle Tank
=Background Info= Development At the tail end of 57 AF, the Union of Soviet Systems was desperate for anything that could hope to turn back the tide against the Northstar Alliance. Demanding a new, capable tank that could hold its own on the field and bombard Northstar defense lines, engineers began drawing up designs for the ST-57 Main Battle Tank codenamed 'Thunderer'. Armed with four mighty 155mm cannons capable of massive destruction, this would prove ideal in cracking enemy armour and defensive lines. The vehicles which had been hastily tested after being assembled, however, would not see combat against the Northstar Alliance for the war would end days before they could be deployed in the very defense of Stalingrad. As the Northen Federation was born in in the war's wake, the very same engineers brought up the designs to the military, hoping they could at least sell the design and their prototypes to restart their industry. Many in the military would disagree, seeing as how HMVs had won them the war, but a few sympathetic generals would be generous enough to witness the field tests before forming a solid opinion. In testing facility KB-65 on Moscow, a new prototype of the Thunderer was unvield, the bugs and problems with the previous vehicles–their underpowered engines, lack of internal ammunition storage, and poor recoil distribution mechanism– ironed out. What was shown was a tank armed with four mighty 180mm guns that were adapt at destroying the old Northstar Alliance tanks and HMVs with general ease while being extremely mobile and reliable despite its impressive weaponry. Not, only that, but its guns could match most artillery weapons in range and power when the tank was properly set up and with the right ammunition, it could provide a very powerful, tough artillery piece when needed. For self-defense, the vehicle had two 60 autocannons mounted on the turret acting as tracer weaponry and deadly close-quarters weapons. The armour also proved to be immune to most other guns that would attack the tank frontally, even AT warheads did little more than to dent the beast. Immediately orders were placed and the first production models were being rolled off the line in 61 AF and was redesignated as the NT-61 Grizzly Main Battle Tank and since then, has served as the backbone of the Federation Armoured Divisions while constantly being refined and updated. The only complaint to have come out of Grizzly Armoured Divisions since its introduction is the general lack of space within the tank, taken up by rugged, powerful autoloader and enough ammunition to level an entire defensive line on its own. Role Armed with four mighty 180mm cannons, the Grizzly is not subtle. It is placed at the forefront of battle to engage enemy forces head-on, often attacking in large tank assaults, bringing overwhelming firepower to bear and a wall of Federation armour to protect the lighter vehicles following up directly behind them. Against defensive lines, the Grizzly can quickly deploy into a stationary firing position and provide able artillery support, if the proper ammunition is available, of course. Weaponry With four 180mm cannons, the Grizzly wields enourmous amounts of firepower for a single tank. These cannons are effective against most targets, though each does offer less penetration than the single cannon of most of its counterparts. To remedy this fact, the ammunition provided for the 180mms offer more explosive power, mainly due to these cannons being originally re-purposed and modified artillery guns that had been updated in later variants to offer more power to pierce more advanced armour designs. Even if a vehicle's armour is relatively unscathed, the same cannot be said about the crew or its delicate internals. For self-defense against low-flying aircraft, lighter vehicles and infantry, the 60mm autocannons provide more than an adequete defense. Though these fire slower than machine guns, their power and range make up for it, although ammunition is limited to two-hundred rounds due to the limited space within the tank. It is not uncommon for crews to trade out some of their 180mm ammunition for more 60mm rounds when lighter armour is expected. Speed and Defenses The Grizzly, though not the fastest vehicle, has a respectable top speed of 95km/h–due to engine govenors– with significant frontal armour, though the sides and rear have considerably less making the Grizzly best suited in direct engagements. Crews, however, do have the liberty of modifying their vehicles and often extra armour can be bolted onto the tank to provide additional protection. One of the biggest defenses, however, is numbers. A Grizzly tank is rarely alone, being cheap enough to manufacture en masse on Vortuka, Grizzlies often outnumber and outgun opposing opposition. Service and Repair The Grizzly is a tank that is relatively easy to service in its latest variant. Unlike most vehicles that get more complicated with improvements and upgrades, the Grizzly has actually gotten simpler to maintain and repair which has attributed to its massive production run. Designers and engineers have slowly made the tank less complicated with time thanks to new, cheaper materials for use in the vehicle's construction and relatively simple, yet efficient on-board systems, ensuring replacement parts are always easy to come by. Category:Vehicles